North Star Diner

Written by mojdeh on June 3, 2016 in I Eat Seattle, I Eat...Out with 0 Comments

(northstardiner.com) – Greenwood neighborhood, Seattle, Washington

How I heard of this place: One day, we walked by and the colors on the corner establishment had changed. It was newly painted, and looked much more welcoming. Subsequently, two of our friends (within the same week) recommended their breakfast. We were sold.

Type of cuisine: “The North Star Diner is open and happy to see you 24 hours a day. Homemade breakfast and lunch served all day, hearty dinner specials, old-fashioned milkshakes, and fresh baked goods daily. It’s been said a time or two that we have the best buttermilk pancakes and Rueben in the city!

And then there’s the Shanghai Room. Our darkside. Great drinks, karaoke five nights a week, full diner menu all day.”

Ambiance: “Once there was an old Chinese restaurant and beloved neighborhood karaoke bar called Yen Wor Garden. The regulars loved their cozy bar and sung their hearts out nightly, but the restaurant struggled and went up for sale in 2013.

Meanwhile, Seattle was in the midst of an incredible growth spurt. Condos, small plates, and Crossfit were sprouting up on every corner, and old haunts were falling one by one. Sunset Bowl became “mixed use retail.” Charlie’s made way for another ‘The Lodge Sports Grille.’ The Hurricane was euthanized at the feet of a new Amazon Tower.

Was it the end of Seattle as we know it? Seattle, where no one dresses up on a Friday night? Where you never need a reservation? Where “going to a show” means you saw a friend’s band at The Sunset? Where we hide from the rain in a dark bar, with deep booths, low ceilings and old carpet?

Not if we can help it.

The North Star Diner wants to be there for you, Seattle. We want to be there for you 24 hours a day, every day, forever. We see you. We are you.

Let’s be together. We’ll give you chickenfried steak after that show. You’ll bring grandma in for a breakfast she can recognize. Have a burger and milkshake, you deserve it. Eat these pancakes we made you – on a huge plate – a plate we reused from the old Chinese place ’cause it was perfectly fine. Come drink beer and Bloody Marys in the Shanghai Room – in a deep booth, under a low ceiling, in a very dark bar, and when you fall down, our carpet will be there to catch you.

We love you, Seattle. Never change.”

What I ordered: For my husband, his go to: the Chicken-Fried Steak & Eggs ($13.99): tender beef cube steak, battered and fried to a golden-brown, served over grilled hash browns and topped with signature bacon gravy, and 3 eggs your way.

North Star Diner Chicken Fried Steak & Eggs

For me, at the strong recommendation of our server, the Hash Benedict ($14.99): tender shredded corned beef and grilled onions, 2 eggs poached, and housemade hollandaise served on a bed of hashbrowns.